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Immediately after 5 days of debates in Marseille, Mr. Philippe Martin, French Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, gathered in Ajaccio 19 ministers of nations representing the world's oceans.

This Ministerial Conference, held in the presence of numerous representatives of governments, international institutions and NGOs, was structured around three roundtables, on the following subjects: the benefits and urgency of conserving the oceans, promoting the regional scale as the appropriate framework for effective action, and international initiatives needed to protect the high seas.

On Friday, Oct. 25, participants work on regional approaches. Carole Martinez (IUCN), who together with David Johnson (Seascape Consultants) is facilitator for this final day in Marseille, tells us why.

Moderated by François Gauthiez (French MPA Agency) and Patricio Bernal (IUCN Global Marine and Polar Program), a panel of experts wrapped up the day's workshops, devoted to Science and Knowledge in the Service of MPA Management..

According to Day 3 facilitators Olivier Laroussinie (French MPA Agency) and Dan Laffoley (IUCN), today's exchanges demonstrated the real value of bringing everyone together. From one congress to the next, surprising new tools keep being invented. This can be a double-edged sword: technological advances provide a much clearer image, but at the same time require much more accurate data. So while processing capabilities increase, they induce a need for ever-larger amounts of information, which take time and resources to collect.

On Monday, Oct. 21, in Marseille, organizers and major partners warned that protecting the oceans was a daunting yet vital task. They urged participants to tackle it head-on with new solutions.

Jean-Claude Gaudin, mayor of Marseille, stressed that protected areas are not necessarily forbidden sanctuaries: they usually allow for human activities such as fishing – and may even, in some cases, save them from collapse. He speaks from experience: Calanques National Park includes densely populated areas.

After François Gauthiez and Patricio Bernal finished summarizing workshops, guest speakers gave their own take on the topic of the day: Science and Knowledge in the Service of Effective Management. Below are a few excerpts.